Transcript Charlie_Cairnsx - University of Exeter

Fungal threats to ecosystem and plant
health
Charlie Cairns
[email protected]
Fungi have a broad range of morphologies, life cycles and
ecological niches
Candida albicans
Amillaria spp.
Aspergillus fumigatus
Arthrobotrys oligospora
Nee, 2004. Nature 429, 804-805
Gow et al, 2012. Microbiology Today
Fungal research has played essential roles in reducing human
morbidity and mortality worldwide
Alexander Fleming, 1928
Penicillium chrysogenum
Penicillin
Akira Endo, 1971
Aspergillus terreus
Lovastatin
Fungi are important pathogens in a diverse range of organisms
Greater than 99%
chance of being
locally extinct in
next 16 years
Comparison of yearly deaths in sub-Saharan Africa due to
HIV-related cryptococcosis and common infectious diseases
excluding HIV.
Myotis lucifugus
Disease alerts in the for pathogenic
fungi of animals and plants
Geographical distribution
of disease
40% decline
in
alerts
Panama with
ecosystem level
changes
Alytes obstetricans
Park et al. 2009, Aids;23:525–530.
Relative
proportion of extinction events for major
classes of infectious agents
Gorgonia ventalina
90% mortality of
specific coral
species in
Caribbean
Fisher et al. 2012, Nature 484, 186–194
Fungi: devastating plant pathogens
Rice
Symptoms of
Magnaporthe
oryzae on leaves
(10 – 30% loss
of annual
harvest)
Wheat
Mycosphaerella
graminicola
infected wheat
Bananas
Colletotrichum
infected bananas
Maize
Ustilago maydis
on corn
Why are fungi such successful plant pathogens?
• Ability to survive independently outside of their host, as a free-living saprophyte or as
durable spores in the environment
• The latent period of infection, i.e., the time between infection and the production of
further infectious propagules may be rapid and/or cryptic
• Spores may be spread as high-density inoculum in surface water or in droplets by rainsplash. Alternatively, nonwettable spores may be carried long distances by the wind.
• They have a plethora of molecular tricks for evading, suppressing and exploiting plant
immune responses
• Development of resistance to antifungals
M. graminicola latent
period of infection
M. graminicola spores resistant
to:
• low temperatures
• starvation
• U.V light
50 µM
Day 1-10
Day 11
Fungi threaten food security post harvest
Grain contamination
Food spoilage
Aspergilli, Fusarium: wheat, barley and maize
Aflatoxin contamination may cause 150 000 cases
(32%) of liver cancer worldwide, mainly in
developing world (Liu and Wu, Environ Health
Perspect. 2010)
Botrytis cinerea on rasberry
(Williamson et al 2007 Mol. Plant Pathol.)
Exeter University is a world class fungal research institute
Exeter University is a world class fungal research institute
Asking questions regarding basic cell biology, genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, host-fungal
interactions, epidemiology and community structure.
Rice
Symptoms of
Magnaporthe
oryzae on leaves
(10 – 30% loss
of annual
harvest)
Wheat
Mycosphaerella
graminicola
infected wheat
Bananas
Colletotrichum
infected bananas
Maize
Ustilago maydis
on corn
Haynes Laboratory: Mycosphaerella graminicola- development of
a molecular toolkit
Wheat
Mycosphaerella graminicola
infected wheat
Yaadwinder Sidu
Interrogation of
essential genes
for potential
drug targets
High throughput
transformation
system for gene
deletion
Energy? Cellular processes? Genetic regulation?
Yogesh Chaudhari
Construction of an
M. graminicola
ORFeome
Thanks for listening
Charlie Cairns
[email protected]